children

Angelie Pickett's painting of Ugborough was last year's winner in the older age group

Devon’s countryside charity begins its 2023 search for young artists

Authored by Sharon Goble
Posted: Tue, 06/20/2023 - 11:52am

The Devon branch of the countryside charity CPRE is looking for budding young artists who can capture the beauty and variety of the county’s natural landscapes, from its wild moorlands to its sheltered river valleys.

Young artists aged 18 and under have until the end of September to submit a painting, drawing, textile, collage, or mixed media artwork of a Devon view to win the coveted title of Devon’s Best Young Landscape Artist 2023. The landscape could be a favourite beach or beauty spot, a local park or green space, somewhere visited on a day out or even the artist’s back garden...

Register your child for free activities and hot meals this Easter

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Thu, 03/09/2023 - 11:28pm

Children and young people, eligible for benefit-related free school meals, have the chance to take part in four days of exciting activities over the Easter Holidays.

Once again parents and guardians have the chance to apply for their child to take part in Devon County Council's (DCC) government-funded Holiday Activities and Food programme.

The programme, for eligible five to 16-year-olds, provides free activities and healthy meals during school holidays.

This year DCC has teamed up with more than 50 activity providers across Devon to offer a very wide range of...

Banksy Champions Children’s Art Classes Launching in the Exeter Area

Globally renowned Graffiti artist Banksy said he was ‘blown away’ by art work produced by pupils at a Brighton art school that has recently launched in Lympstone and Exmouth. Bansky, who’s recent murals feature on Ukrainian postage stamps, went on to say that he was ‘wowed’ by the classes and that all the pupils were brilliant and had a bright future in art ahead of them.

Artroom was established in 2008 by former secondary school teachers Sebastian Dewing and Alison Horton and has become the leading provider of art classes for 6 - 16 year-olds in the Brighton and Hove area....

Secondary School offer day: Expert shares tips on supporting Children through transition to secondary

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Tue, 02/28/2023 - 11:17pm

March 1st marks National Offer Day, when many children in England and Wales will find out which secondary schools they will go to.

School transitions can be incredibly challenging. Children in schools continually experience transitions – between different schools, classes, and year groups. A key part of an educator’s role is to make sure these periods of change run as smoothly as possible.

In a children’s emotional health study backed by The Prince’s Trust, young people highlighted the transition to secondary school as being particularly hard on their self-esteem, due to...

Charity calls for families with young disabled adults to seek support

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Tue, 02/28/2023 - 5:56pm

Families caring for young disabled adults at home are being offered help by a forward-thinking national charity to improve quality of life.

Faced with three times higher costs to bring up disabled children, the continuing cost-of-living crisis is placing families in financial jeopardy. It is therefore even harder to afford the things that improve their disabled young adult’s day-to-day living.

National charity Family Fund is now urging families with a disabled 18-24 year-old living at home to apply for wide-ranging grants through its Your Opportunity scheme.

Set...

Plus-ed raises £44,000 for digital wellbeing platform that educates and engages school children on mental health

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Mon, 01/30/2023 - 11:36am

An Exeter business has raised £44,000 in Innovate UK grant funding to grow Plus - its digital wellbeing platform, helping school children to track and manage their mental health with support from parents and teachers.

Plus provides pupils with a fun and engaging way to make wellbeing part of their day. It is carried out on an iPad or other device, that focuses on nutrition, exercise, and emotional health.

“One in six children have a probable mental health condition and 50% of mental health problems are established by the age of 14, so we focus on supporting children aged...

Westbank's Kidzone Childcare Manager Lucy Elliott with one of the toddlers

Devon preschool graded ‘Good’ in its first year of operation

A small, friendly preschool near Exeter that welcomed its first intake of young children last spring has already received a good grade.

In a recent Ofsted inspection, the Kidzone at Exminster - operated by local charity Westbank Community Health and Care - was described as a ‘Good Provider’.

The charity’s preschool for Over 2s opened its doors at the end of April 2022, with just three children attending over three days. Since then, it has quadrupled its numbers and extended its opening hours. The facility now looks after 12 young children over five days and has recently...

Childrens Charity Brainwave Raises £40,000 to fund a new therapist

Brainwave has announced that they achieved their target of raising an additional £40,000, to support with the costs of a full-time therapist for a year.

The charity has been blown away by the generosity of supporters across the UK, who despite the cost-of-living crisis have still dug deep to support them during their 40th anniversary year.

The funds raised will enable them to support more children with disabilities across the UK during 2023.

Keith Sinclair, CEO of Brainwave said: “Forty years of achieving life changing outcomes for children with disabilities and...

Curious About Exeter - Quirky heritage walks for the Curious!

Curious About Exeter - Quirky heritage walks for the Curious!

Event Date: 
20/01/2023 - 10:30am to 31/12/2023 - 4:30pm
Venue: 
Exeter City Centre, starting Northernhay Gardens, Exeter, EX4 3RY

Have fun (re-)discovering Exeter, spotting things you’ve never noticed before, with two quirky treasure hunt style heritage walks - an all-year, fun and affordable way to enjoy some fresh air. Buy in printed booklet or instant download format (to print at home or use directly on up to three mobile devices) from https://www.curiousabout.co.uk/exeter.html and explore in your own time. Use code: Exeter15 for 15% off all Curious About walks.

Curious About Exeter visits not just the obvious places, but some unusual ones too, with hidden treasures to discover. Suitable for all ages,...

Advice on how to ensure toys are safe this Christmas

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Fri, 12/09/2022 - 11:34pm

To help ensure that the toys you are buying this Christmas are safe Trading Standards has released two short videos.

The videos, about toy safety and buying electrical goods , feature Holly Traynor from the Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service and she gives her top tips and advice on what to look for and what to avoid.

Trading Standards advises that if you are buying new products, you should ensure they display a CE mark, proof that the product has passed EU safety regulations, or the UKCA mark, which is the UK equivalent.

All toys, including ‘free...

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